Government Slammed By Regulators Over Misleading Homelessness Statistics

Government homelessness statistics due out next week have been slammed as ‘potentially misleading’ by the UK Statistics Authority after charities warned they were under-estimating the true scale of the homelessness epidemic.

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) produces three different sets of homelessness statistics and all have shown a rising trend in the number of those without a home over the last five years. Two of these reports – statistics on how many people people have approached local councils concerned they are about to become homeless as well as figures recording the number of people sleeping rough – are released on an annual basis whilst the number of people actually accepted as homeless by Local Authorities are recorded on a quarterly basis. This needs to change according to the Statistics Authority who recommend that all local authority statistics are released quarterly in a single publication.

The authority also questions whether rough sleeping statistics are truly an accurate portrayal pointing out significant difference between the number of street homeless people estimated in counts carried out by charities and those produced by Local Authorities. Astonishingly rough sleeping figures are gained from a single annual street count managed at local level with councils able to opt out if they do not believe they have a siginificant number of rough sleepers. Front-line workers in the homelessness industry have long warned that these counts are often fixed with police sent in to clear the streets of rough sleepers before the count takes place. Sadly the UK Statistics Authority have not called for an examination of how widespred this practice is.

DCLG are now required to carry out an overhaul of rough sleeping statistics as well as provide an explanation of the methods used to collect these figures and the reasons why. Basically, until a better system can be found, then DCLG have been ordered to add a disclaimer to the statistical releases saying that these numbers are actually a load of old bollocks so don’t believe a word of them. Which no-one did anyway.

According to (my quick look) Page 28 – in 2014 Thamesreach had –
‘Cash at bank and in hand’ – £5,915,073
That’s about £7,886 that they could give to every ‘officially’ homeless person in London.
and – ‘Total Restricted and Unrestricted funds’ – £10,617,327
That’s about £14,156 that they could give to every ‘officially’ homeless person in London.

What!? Not even one reply?
Isn’t *anyone* else even slightly shocked and disgusted by that?
All too busy spamming off topic rants and troll hate (no change there).
Well… so long as you’re all right…
Happy f***ing Xmas

The usual cover up approach. A casual glance around bushes in parks bus stops and doorways tells the truth. Make it the direct responsibility of all elected members local and central to complete true returns, with stiff penalties. It must be accurately recorded so it can be challenged

Well they finally gave up with the line, of there being no evidence between cuts and various social problems the country has been experiencing since they were implemented. And gone back to fiddling the figures about so the general public don’t know what’s really happening. Its sad but not surprizing.

Stepping, we are no longer a nation of animal lovers. I seriously doubt that we ever really were. In recent years acts of extreme cruelty have risen greatly. Unfortunately, the RSPCA don’t exactly help matters by persecuting and privately prosecuting the vulnerable, rather than giving advice or help. For some, being able to keep an animal companion is the only thing that keeps them alive.

The RSPCA only turn up when there’s a tv crew or press available. They kill nearly half of all pets they take or who are dumped on them, yet sit on £114m in the bank. They are a money making machine. They, like all big charities, live off the backs of the very beings they were set up to help.

I think how we treat our animals indicates a great deal about how we treat each other. We as a people now have huge disdain for each other that is rampantly promoted by our sleazebag media. fed by greedy, war and hate mongering governments.

One media piece about turkeys doesn’t really show the whole picture. People will ooh & aaah about a few hundred turkeys escaping from a crashed lorry, but don’t give a flying fuck about the welfare of most farm animals. The turkeys will have been caught, slaughtered and butchered, then sold to the self same people who oooh’d and aaah’d about them escaping.

We are all animals. It’s about time we remembered that. It might help us be a bit kinder to our own species. Compassion isn’t just a virtue, it’s an essential.

There was a kitten stuck up a tree for days on end a couple of years ago (it was too scared to jump down a branch), this was in January in sub-zero temperatures. Nothing would coax it down. The RSPCA would do fuck all. Same with the fire brigade: “we don’t rescue cats stuck up trees”. Eventually someone got a mate who climb pylons, transmitter masts kind of thing for a living to climb up the tree and rescue it. The RSPCA, Fire Brigade as well as the Police and all the other useless fuckers we contacted would have left that little kitten to freeze to death.

I remember my mum talking in a stray cat, she asked the RSPCA for help with it: “It’s your cat now and your responsibility”. Totally useless fuckers. On a par with the Salvation Army and the rest of these so-called charities. Just after cash to pay for the Chief Executive Officer salary and expenses.

Something to bear in mind next time one of their pleading TV ads come or a donation envelope drops through the letter-box.

Agreed Betty.
The very last people to contact if there is an animal in distress or need is the RSPCA. Never let them into your home either, if they turn up on the door. They are, despite their pretend police uniforms, nothing more than charity workers. No right of entry, no right to take your animals, no right to threaten you either. They would have you believe otherwise.

All they share in common with the Police is that they are a ‘reporting authority’ i.e. they can report you to the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service), same as Trading Standards, Health and Safety, DWP even TV Licensing*… It is not a power Joe and Josephine Public have i..e you cannot report your neighbour to the CPS. And unlike the cops and their fancy-dress ‘police uniforms’ the RSPCA have no powers of arrest, same as TV Licensing*

*In Scotland Scottish Criminal Law applies. You will be reported to the Procurator Fiscal.

In fact they are not too dissimilar to TV Licensing ™ in that if you let them over your doorstep (which you don’t have to) and sign a ‘confession’ (which you don’t have to) they can then ‘report’ you. So best just to treat them the same as TVL ™ 😀

They are no different to the ordinary citizen. They do not use the CPS, because they know the CPS would chuck out their intended prosecutions as spurious. The RSPCA use the private prosecution route. They have no special reporting powers at all.

The Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals comes under Scottish law.

The RSPCA use monies donated to help animals to pay for spurious prosecutions. The RSPB used to do this, until their members & the public protested by withdrawing membership and donations. They now use the police and consequently the CPS, which is what the RSPCA should do.

Notice how many of these huge charities have luxury Head Quarters, paid for by donations?

Forgot to mention that, Lucy, but I have noticed that it seems strange that all RSPCA prosecutions always seem to be private ones. But they will still be a ‘reporting authority’. As you say, the only conclusion we can draw it that the CPS consider the RSPCA’s grounds for prosecution to weak and the evidence so flimsy that they decide not to prosecute. Very telling, isn’t it.

I don’t believe that they are an official anything Eagle, anything other than a registered charity that is. Most of their prosecutions never even get before the CPS, historically, many have been thrown out by the CPS. Some of their more egregious private prosecutions have been thrown out in Crown Court.

The RSPCA train all magistrates in England & Wales in The Animal Welfare Act 2006 – a little known fact.

There’s a wealth of info on the net about the true nature of the RSPCA. Blogs, newspaper articles, FB & Twitter. Fortunately, there are also a few solicitors and barristers who are willing to stand up against the RSPCA to defend those who have been accused without foundation, either in law, or ethics. Those who stand up against the RSPCA often find themselves on the end of serious threats.

Even their own employees are not exempt from the bullying. Look up Dawn Aubrey-Ward. Others have committed suicide when on the end of the RSPCA’s vindictive style of operation.

The RSPCA have been involved in some extremely dodgy “legal” behaviours that are actually illegal – behaviours such as “witness conferencing” – totally forbidden in our legal system.

The high kill numbers are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how they operate.

Those quotes from the RSPCA are a complete nonsense: “Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service said all the turkeys were accounted for and the RSPCA was helping get them a “safe place”.”; “Scott Norman, from the fire service, said the turkeys looked “fine” and the RSPCA was helping to ensure they were “removed to a safe place”; “The RSPCA said an inspector had assessed the site and was happy the “turkeys’ welfare is not in any further immediate danger”.” Is the RSPCA ‘re-homing’ 600 turkeys!? lol 😀 Of course not: these turkeys will have been rounded up, and continued on their way to the abattoir, been been hoisted up by the legs and had their heads sliced off! Bootiful!

£40,000 a year to be a Disability Adviser in getting disabled people jobs. Easy money !!! I want that job but Sue Marsh has got it for £70,000 a year working for Maximus.
What`s £10,000 here £20,000 there !!!!

Before we can match you with the right job, MAXIMUS Employment Consultants take the time to get to know you. We then help you build upon your strengths and capabilities, providing the support and resources you need to secure meaningful, long-term work.

Your journey towards economic independence begins with a one-to-one interview with a MAXIMUS Employment Consultant. During this interview, we help you create a customised Action Plan that will guide you in your search for employment. With a plan in place, we then provide you with tailored activities designed to help prepare you for work. We also provide you with the support and resources you need to achieve your goals. Key support services we offer include:
•Help preparing your CV and writing cover letters
•Training in a number of critical areas, including: ◦Interview skills
◦Basic skills and budgeting
◦Vocational skills

•Assistance with benefits, including: ◦Help understanding the positive effect work will have on your income through the use of a “Better Off Calculation”
◦Help understanding how your benefits will change once you return to work
◦Vocational skills

•Confidence, motivation and time-management workshops
•Signposting and referrals to local community organisations to help you address any mental health, physical or substance misuse issues you may have
•Links to appropriate housing bodies

In fact the DWP don`t take responsibility over the DWP itself. So lack of Care Of Duty springs to mind as well as Health & Safety laws & rules which lack any common sense now that your illness aka disability has been cured by confidence tricksters cash cowing the weak & venerable for profit, gain & targets. The vested interest in these contracts are the grey area of law so they think aka think tank. Contradictions is the weakness of the policy which one happens to be the DWP`s WCA aka fake medical with no receipt. The weakness of the Welfare Reform is the non forms called questionaires No paper trial is what the DWP want. No paper trial no contract. Yet again a contradiction in full flow. A contradiction makes the think Not Fit For Purpose. Full Stop End Of. Forget lawyers & politics instant fix like contradictions messing with common sense.

wow! their customized action plan training manual must be a fun read, where can i get a copy…covers every employment eventuality, every kind of sickness and disability, then turns, millions of permutations, it all into an easy to understand action plan…
perhaps they’ll write one called curing the common cold or global warming, how to lunch a successful apollo mission, perhaps understanding black holes and gravity…even time travel…

Employ a blind man to work as a lookout and you will always get the desired results.
This is how the Tory’s work, set up a bogus overseer and pay it mega bucks to derive the figures you want and it will always deliver.

Thats why, what the BBC and SKY tells you is obviously complete bollocks as you witness the very fibre of social cohesion being torn apart.in front of your eyes.

You can only lie for so long until the gravity of your lies is brought into scrutiny, hence the fucked up health service, economy, schooling and every other glaring fuck up.

Yesterday evening i watched two guys pulling cardboard from bins at the back of a large retail fashion store.

They did not want fancy trainers or designer perfume, just new dry bedding to ward off the below freezing temperatures of my seaside town.

Human beings, flesh and blood, trying to ward off the chills of a winters night huddled in a doorway or under a bridge, the closet skeletons of a deranged government that throws handouts to those who need it least, the affluent.

What next, a shoot to kill policy for carrying cardboard or a season ticket to MAXIMUS……………

No, its actually an exercise of painful futility designed purely and simply to destroy your sense of self worth and humiliate you into accepting a job that is below living standard wage and bend over for an employer.
There is no training or experience required for any of these jobs.
The Jumping through hoops part is purely to show you have assumed the touch your toes position to any potential employer.

For e.g.: employer:
‘Can you put 1200 items a day in trolleys reasonably accurately ‘.
Candidate; ‘Yes’.
Employer: ‘Will you do it for minimum wage via agency status add infinitum?’
Candidate: ‘Fuck off”.
See? The Maximus plan is to tread down the candidate until they say ‘Yes,PLEASE! And do me up the butt on week ends for flat rate;
I’ve had the Maximus brain extraction!!!!’

It would not be quite so bad if the employee was not effectively giving ~ 30% of their pre tax earnings to a 3rd party-Which with the current treatment of most claimants is tantamount to enforced servitude.
And many of these ‘providers’ partnered with agencies are up to their eyeballs in cross department manipulation of ‘customers’ and clients.
I ‘suspect’ bonuses are being shared ‘cash in hand’ between departments,judging from my experience.
One side gets paid to find a job, the other side takes money off the employee and employer.
History will show this to be so against the public interest as to be almost beyond belief it was tolerated.

It is amazing what it will do for the private rental sector too.
Expect dickensian slums with whole families living in a room in your neighborhood.
Taking away a working class families social housing will help them own a property in much the same way as taking away a crippled man’s wheel chair will help him to walk on his hands.
Perhaps we should invert this thinking and apply it to the rich?
Taking away millions of £’s of the lower classes money will free them;
They will learn how to get along without huge houses, Harrods food hall,hired help and expensive holidays.

We should start with George Smith.
He has obviously become reliant on
200K a year of the public’s money to the point of insanity,its only right and proper for his own good we remove it so he can soar upwardly mobile and stand on his own two feet.

You have hit the nail on the head Nemo regarding the rich being the biggest fiddlers of all to get what they want, then suppress everyone else that refuses to be upwardly mobile.

When I state I want everyone in the world to have the right to food, heat, a roof over their head I am told I am just a bitter person by the likes of OBD or Sib, I don’t know where their thinking is coming from.

So there are no council houses because they sold them all to developers who bulldozed them all for private property developments,which were bought by buy to let landlords,and now it is costing more money.
Shocker,eh?

Thank you for your Freedom of Information request which we received on 9th November 2015.

You asked:

Can you provide statistics on the following please.

1 – How many ESA Claimants have been for their medicals with the DWP’s Contractor.

2 – How many of these ESA Claimants have requested their medicals be recorded by the
Contractor.

3 – How many of these ESA Claimants, who requested a recording, have had the medical
recorded.

4 – How many of these ESA Claimants have been unable to receive a copy of the recording,
because the equipment failed and the claimants were only informed of equipment failure at the
end of the medical.

DWP ANSWER
In response we estimate that the cost of complying with your request would exceed the
appropriate limit of £600. The appropriate limit has been specified in regulations and for central
Government it is set at £600.

On the 6PM BBC News this evening, there was a report abut the Southern Health Trust (regarding the unavoidable deaths of mental illness patients in their care) – the lady Chief Executive (who is paid £200,000 per year!) was asked about her position. She basically said that what happened was very unfortunate and she cared greatly for those and their families who had suffered. It was then reported that when the final report eventually comes out – then her position may well become untennable.
This reminds me of what has been happening with the DWP – because of IDS & his/their cruel and vindictive policies and lack of care there have now been countless unavoidable suicides. The final report regarding these deaths (from the DWP) has still to be released to the Information Commissioner. If, eventually when this happens will this at last, be put out by the BBC & Sky, as well as Murdoch’s liars in his tabloid rags and be brought out into the public domain, where it deserves to be. Then, I would hope that at last, some action, either in the form of legal action or some other form of direct action will be taken against him/them and also against Maximus, Capita etc and their so called ‘health professionals’ – they are all probably liable in law for what they have done – they should (and probably will) answer, in some way, for their crimes against Britain’s poor, sick & disabled population. All of them should be held liable, including Cameron (as he could have sacked IDS & at least tried to put a stop to all of this cruelty a long time ago). It is surely now only a matter of time before the clock starts to tick for them once again.

We have a democratic system of government were the elected party
serves a fixed term set out under the rules. Powers which appear
unconditional can be potentially devastating for the citizens
residing in the country.

We have, in relatively recent years, seen problems created because
the government elected can not be challenged over decision, no
matter what dire consequences they might have for the country as a
whole.

I believe we should have learned lessons about how vulnerable we
are in this regard. I would therefore like assurance that
ultimately power is held in the hands of our psychiatric assessment
specialists.

This leads me to my question I would like answering under the
Freedom of Information Act 2000:

Q) Does whoever is serving as the Minister for Work and Pensions at
the time undergo psychiatric assessment to assess the suitability
for deciding the fate of the UK, and if so, with what regularity?

mhp’s are curable and have been for decades now…!
how about campaigning for the cure to be made widely available on the nhs..?
how many more deaths does there have to be to realize people are suffering, NONE…
there have been many protests about this over the yrs…
sick and disabled are far too burdened with doing the paperwork, attending appointments, managing their health conditions whilst also being burdened with them, and challenging the system in so many ways, to take on the grinding process of legal action, why don’t you do it paul….?
maximus took over from atos wca’s in march of this year…
what sort of direct action….helping people claim and/or appeal….?
offering to accompany people to wca…?
sure there should be a campaign to scrap the wca, conditionality etc…!
get it recorded…see also sian’s post link below…

GODBY…………WHO WORKED FOR UNUM PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE ALONG WITH PETER DEWIS.

SHEPHERD………….WHO NOW SAYS;

Ministers and civil servants were “ruthless” and “reckless” in forcing through their new “fitness for work” test and refusing to abandon it even after they were told of the harm it was causing, according to a former government adviser. Professor Geoff Shepherd, who was one of nine members of a working group set up

JED BOARDMAN………..WHO NOW SAYS;

Dr Jed Boardman, a consultant psychiatrist at the South London and Maudsley NHS trust, said the work capability assessment (WCA) discriminates against those with mental health issues and called for an overhaul of the process.

Boardman, who treats patients with serious and long-term mental health problems, told the Guardian: “People with severe long-term problems get very distressed about being assessed, probably because mistakes are made, because the process isn’t perfect, because they don’t feel they are being listened to in their interviews.

“You do see people relapsing as a consequence of getting distressed.”

……………….AND YET IT WAS THESE VERY THREE PEOPLE THAT SAT ON AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE THAT GAVE INFORMATION TO THE GOVERNMENT TO OK WORK CAPABILITY TESTS ON CLAIMANTS.

HANSARD 2006

11 May 2006 : Column WA150

accurately those who in spite of their condition are fit to continue in work; and, for those who are unfit for work, identify interventions that would help to support recovery such that return to work would again become an option.

We have set up two groups to carry out the review: first, a technical working group comprising technical or medical experts from the field of mental health and learning difficulties; and secondly a consultative group made up of lay experts representing key stakeholder groups. The two groups will work together to review the component, ensuring that there is a balance between academic robustness, user acceptability and operational deliverability.

The following people are on the Mental Health Technical Group. They all have medical or occupational health experience of managing mental health conditions and of the relationship between mental health and work:

Professor Geoff Shepherd

Dr Jed Boardman

Dr Alan Cohen

Dr Bob Grove

Miles Rinaldi

Dr Paul Litchfield

Sue Godby

Dr Angela Graham

Dr Philippa Russell
……………………………………………………………………………………………………

3 ARSES TWITCHING BECAUSE THEY ARE IN SOME WAY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEATHS THAT THE DWP ARE DESPERATELY TRYING TO COVER UP………………………………….

“THE WORK CAPABILITY ASSESSMENTS WERE BROUGHT ABOUT BY THE INTERVENTION OF A PRIVATE HEALTH INSURER, UNUM, WHO SEIZED AN OPPORTUNITY TO INCREASE ITS PROFITS”

HERE IS AN EXTRACT OF A FREEDOM OF INFORMATION RESPONSE TO MYSELF BY THE DWP”

The Work Capability Assessment was developed in collaboration with a range of
medical and occupational health experts. Sue Godby, of the College of Occupational
Therapists and Unum Provident, was part of the Mental Health Technical Working
Group, along with eight other professionals. Dr Peter Dewis, a disability analyst and
Customer Care Director, Unum Provident, wa
s part of the Physical Function Technical
Working Group, along with nine other professionals.

CORPORATE GREED WAS THE UNDERLYING MOTIVE FOR WCA’S, THAT AND THE GOVERNMENTS AIM TO CUT WELFARE SPENDING…….

“HOW AN INTERNATIONAL PRIVATE HEALTH INSURER POISONED OUR GOVERNMENT THAT LED TO THE DEATHS OF UNKNOWN THOUSANDS”

HANSARD

IV. The role of the Private Sector

11. UnumProvident firmly believes that there is a significant role for the private sector to play in helping to return disabled people to work. As the UK’s leading provider of income protection insurance, UnumProvident is particularly well-placed to share with the Committee examples of projects and initiatives that might be of assistance to the Government. Like the Government, UnumProvident:

— insures people against the risk of not being able to work through acquiring a disability; and

— assesses all claims made, paying all valid ones.

12. However, as part of its product offering, UnumProvident goes one stage further and actively works with the claimant to help return them to work. UnumProvident recognises the value of early intervention, active case management and rehabilitation. We are convinced that our approach works, and currently around 15% of all our claimants are able to return to work, a rate which we believe is far in excess of that achieved with recipients of incapacity benefit.

13. UnumProvident is actively engaged with the Government, policy-makers and large employers to share best practice and to see where our systems and approaches might be applied more widely. We are currently working with the Department of Work and Pensions on this, and have had discussions with officials in HM Treasury and the Prime Minister’s office. We have met with officials to help better understand the nature of the IB casebook, and to discuss how our commercial experience and expertise might be more widely applied. In addition, we will shortly be supporting the National Employment Panel in its work on the New Deal for Disabled People through a secondment of one of our senior managers.

………..SIMPLE REALLY, THEY FILL THEIR POCKETS, THE TREASURY SAVES MONEY AND WE BURY OUR DEAD………..

19. It is our belief that the current tax and benefits system is overly complex, can provide strong disincentives for disabled people to look for work, and is in need of radical reform. UnumProvident put forward a blueprint for welfare reform in its paper “Diversity in Employment”. In brief, and as outlined at paragraph 8, our proposal is that those disabled people capable of some work should be moved from IB to a form of JSA. Here they would be properly supported in their search for and transition into work.

the demarcation between jsa and esa is wrong, many on jsa suffer mhp’s…
all should have sanctuary and unconditional SS payments….
bullying abuse causes powerlessness and the symptoms that are called mhp’s….

WELL done Anne-Marie O’Sullivan for challenging David Cameron to come clean not only on the tragic suicide of her own father Michael but also to explain the deaths of 60 other people who were wrongly stripped of their benefits under his so called welfare reforms (Daughter leads new bid for truth from PM on fit-for-work deaths, The National, December 10).

Great credit must go to SNP Westminster leader Angus Robertson and shadow chancellor John McDonnell for supporting her case. Cameron has tried at every opportunity to ignore public concern and has left his henchman Ian Duncan Smith to evade and not answer questions. The brutal and inhumane attack on disabled people since 2010 (which was then supported by the treacherous Lib Dems) lies directly at Cameron’s door. These people earned entitlement to benefits by paying their taxes and national insurance throughout their working lives.

Recently Duncan Smith claimed Cameron was in support of his policies because he wanted to reduce welfare spending. Its disgusting to think that to try and win votes in the last general election Cameron opened his heart to the nation regarding the personal tragedy he and his family suffered as a result of disability yet today he is forcing people with terminal illnesses like MND into ‘fit-for-work’ assessments? I know it’s too late for Anne-Marie’s dad but I hope in his memory she can fight for the human rights of others, the same rights denied to her father.

The DWP has today launched a consultation aimed at slashing the number of people eligible for the daily living component of personal independence payment (PIP) by up to 35%. The cuts will be aimed at claimants who qualify for PIP because of their use of aids and appliances and may include replacing awards with discretionary voucher payments.

The press release and consultation document published today claim that 35% of all daily living allowance awards are based solely on the claimant’s need to use aids and appliances.

In addition, the DWP points out that recent upper tribunal decisions have found that a bed, for example, can count as an aid or appliance if a claimant needs to sit on it in order to get dressed.

The DWP argues that the use of readily available or low cost items as aids or appliances isn’t a reliable guide as to whether a person has to meet additional costs because of their disability. As a result the department has launched a brief consultation, ending on 29 January 2016, to decide whether and how to change the system

but there’s also a UtT generic inclusive ruling concerning storage and reasonable access to aids and appliances-accessibility to them, which also must be considered in costs…are the dwp seriously suggesting that all these factors are considered when accessing an individuals need for payments and/or vouchers to cover costs of the actual items required and access to them..

Mentally Ill Man Took His Own Life After Disability Benefits Axed
Posted by Steven Preece –
Dec 12, 2015

The case of a 50-year old man who took his own life after his disability benefits were axed has been described by a coroner’s inquest as “truly tragic”.

Stephen Smith from Leiston, East Suffolk, took his own life in January of this year after a battle to get his benefits reinstated caused his anxiety problems to worsen.

Mr Smith was told by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to make a claim for Personal Independence Payments (PIP), after changes to the benefits system last year meant his Disability Living Allowance was about to end.

Following an assessment for PIP, Mr Smith was told that he would no longer be eligible for disability benefits, despite of his mental health issues.

Mr Smith and partner Lucy Stewart saw their income slashed by £137.55 a week, which had a devastating impact on their personal finances and Stephen’s mental health.

After the DWP failed to make a follow-up call to explain the decision, Mr Smith sent a formal letter with help from experts at the Disability Advice Centre asking for the decision to be reconsidered. The DWP said follow-up calls no longer take place.

However, the East Anglian Daily Times reports that bungling DWP officials mistakenly closed the appeal before the reconsideration process could be completed.

An inquest into his death was held in Ipswich on Thursday, where Miss Stewart’s father David said Stephen’s suicide was triggered by the loss in benefits and its subsequent impact on his mental health.

Why does a claimant with “anxiety” need more a shed-load more ££££cash than say a jobseeker? What extra expenditure does “anxiety” occur? As another commentator said above the demarcation between JSA and ESA is plain wrong!

Why does a claimant with “anxiety” need a shed-load more ££££cash than say a jobseeker? What extra expenditure does “anxiety” incur? As another commentator said above the demarcation between JSA and ESA is plain wrong!

Depending on how the anxiety manifests they may need a taxi rather than being able to get on a bus; may not be able to travel at off-peak times or shop for the discounts when things are reduced at the end of the day if unable to face a busy town centre. May be obliged to shop locally (where prices are higher) etc. etc. etc. etc.

All pretty thin pretexts for needing the extra dosh shirleynott. No doubt he also needed holidays and a large TV to control his ‘anxiety’ too.

Nevertheless according to what can be gleaned from the article the root cause of his “anxiety” was the death of his mother 15 YEARS AGO! So his mother died when he was 35 15 whole years ago! So all pretty par for the course of natural events.

So he has been enjoying a pretty good ‘life-style’ for at least the past 15 years. As someone in the article is quoted as saying: “savings could have been made”. This is one of those cases that no matter how much the disability lobby spin it you can see where the DWP is coming from. Or are their ‘decisions’ wrong 100% of the time? What should have been done is this couple should have been given ‘help and support’ to ‘transition’ to their new ‘life-style’ on JSA. It is disingenuous the way these articles also scream “Disabled person stripped of their benefits” as GEOFF says what he saw homeless people do, we can not expect to find him round the back of a fashion store pulling cardboard from a skip to use a dry bedding. It would be more accurate to say: “ESA claimant being transferred to JSA”.

Nobody would argue that it would have been traumatic and a shock to the system to have his benefits so drastically reduced since he would have become accustomed to the ‘life-style’ they will have provided. But instead of doing what most of us would have done and just thought to himself: “Well, I suppose I have had a good run for my money. Fair dos. Going to need to make some cut-backs now. Let’s see what tasty recipes we can make with lentils.” he ends his life in the selfish manner he has lived his life, without a though for anyone else but himself, by ending his life. All very sad and tragic!

Thanks Maria – I wasn’t quite sure what to say (temporarily speechless).
Was thinking of saying, though, that it’s a daunting prospect and not something everyone can contemplate to try & ‘live’ a life on what has now replaced social security (JSA).

Its alright Shirley, no one deserves to live like that, we should be trying to help each other and share the Earth’s resources, we should make sure each other are alright and comfortable. Not condemn people to the bottom and tell them to put up with it.

On the contrary it is you that is the heartless bitch Maria. It is well seen that the disability lobby on here couldn’t give a flying fuck about the poor sods who are being left to suffer on JSA just so as long as YOU protect your disability benefits and don’t end up on JSA. That is it in a nutshell Maria, Sian and the rest of the disability lobby on here, isn’t it? You don’t give a damn about anyone except yourself. Interestingly, since the ‘environment’ has been mentioned on here, an environmentalist on or whatever said on the BBC News the other night: “Nobody gives a damn about the environment. All people care about are themselves and their family”. All very apparent on here!

Back on topic: It is obvious to anyone that this guy was hoping to make it through to ‘retirement’ in another 15 years at 65. In that scenario how could it be considerable reasonable for someone to be claiming disability benefits on the back of a bereavement 30 years ago? And say he was booted off ESA after 30 claiming for ‘anxiety’ on the back of his mother’s death 30 years ago. In a job your are lucky if your get one day off to recover from bereavement!!

think what you like, I don’t really care for people who say negative things to other people and intend to hurt them with their words. Words don’t hurt me, I lost the most important thing to me last month, it weren’t money or things, that hurts but your words don’t touch me.

Those that are working their socks off as self employed vying for the work at the lowest price and undercutting one another, probably wouldn’t have time to grieve for their relatives – going along with this governments divide and conquer mentality is making everyone over conscience about earning and having to work too long hours to make a living wage.

“But after the Department of Work and Pensions ruled that he was ineligible, Mr Smith and his partner Lucy Stewart, who was also on benefits relating to a learning disability, saw their weekly total cut by £137.55, and left the 50-year-old in despair over his financial situation.”

To put some figures on it: the JSA couples rate is a mere £118.45. The article appears to be referring to Mr Smith’s own individual payment. So Mr Smith was in effect receiving individually more than twice what a couple on JSA would receive. It doesn’t mention what his partner receives in benefits only that she has a ‘learning disability’. So it is reasonable to assume that she is also receiving at least another £137.55 a week and since a ‘learning disability’ is likely to attract the higher rates of benefits she could receiving up to £300 a week (having worked in social work I can attest that claimants with ‘learning disabilities’ are very switched on when it comes to claiming all they can claim’).

So even with Mr Smith’s reduction in income as a couple they would still have had a substantial income; way, way higher than a couple on JSA, or a minimum wage worker, even employees on very good salaries, and of course those struggling by as ‘self-employed’. Greed doesn’t even come into it; it is way beyond that!

carry on troll…
bit early for pantomime season, but your posts are giving me a good laugh anyway, as you continue to gloriously display your ignorance of the benefits system etc, with your outlandish speculations and consequently ridiculous extrapolations….
i’ll re-post this; http://voxpoliticalonline.com/2015/12/12/latest-benefit-related-suicide-dwp-excused-as-coroner-claims-errors-were-breach-of-procedure-not-duty/ and perhaps the pennies will clang as they hit the floor… but please don’t let the truth get in the way of a good yarn, and spoil our fun…. being that i’m generous i’ll give you a clue to one of your errors… ‘Changes to the benefits system in June last year meant that Mr Smith was invited to submit a Personal Independent Payment (PIP) claim, as his disability allowance was about to expire….’ the others you’ll have to work out for yourself….

Labour and SNP politicians look set to work together to push for an end to the government’s “broken and unsafe” work capability assessment (WCA), after meeting with the daughter of one of its victims.

In a display of cross-party unity, Labour’s shadow chancellor John McDonnell and SNP’s Westminster leader Angus Robertson had a joint meeting with Anne-Marie O’Sullivan at the House of Commons this week.

They discussed her efforts to push for an end to the assessment, which tests eligibility for out-of-work disability benefits.

Disability News Service (DNS) revealed in September that a coroner had ruled that the suicide of her father, Michael, had been triggered by the “intense anxiety” of being wrongly found “fit for work”.

The coroner wrote to the government about the case, demanding action from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to prevent the deaths of other disabled people, and pointing to the failure to seek evidence from Michael O’Sullivan’s GP, psychiatrist and clinical psychologist.

DNS later discovered that, more than three years before the death of Michael O’Sullivan, another coroner had issued a similar warning to the department, following the suicide of Stephen Carre, who had also taken his own life after wrongly being found fit for work.

The laws have not changed on that one. The DWP can only get the £73 lower by sanctions which are illegal & make the new contract null & void from signing the new contract called ESA bogus form. Need a poll & a questionnaire !!!!

It`s a shame IDS my mind does not need a committee meeting, so I operation a lot faster at every stage of cementing a contradiction to be Not Fit For Purpose – The Non Paper Not Worth The Non Paper It`s Written On – Null & Void.

FOI Request — Don`t need an answer but gets the DWP worried

Since the WCA are insurance ideas, What part of the WCA has anything to do with a medical condition & helping that medical condition rather than an insurance cash cow that cures illnesses running an insurance scam !!!

Today i witnessed thousands of homeless celebrating the news that world leaders had agreed to the terms of the climate change summit in Paris.

“Quasimodo grunted, headbutted the great bell of Notre Dame and rolled around in stitches”

What a bunch of wankers, he must have thought…………………….

The uk kills cripples and those with life threatening diseases, limits hospital care and reduces elderly care facilities, fucks the unemployed, places tax on bedrooms, starve kids and the poor and gave a knighthood to Danny Alexander………….

Please can you tell me what percentage of Work Capability
Assessments from April 2014 to March 2015 (inclusive) scored 0
points and the percentage of assessments during this period that
scored 15 points.

Cameron & Osborne will stand firm and fully in their totally misguided belief that their Government’s ‘long term economic plan’ is working!
They are endeavouring to produce a ‘low welfare, low tax, high income’ society – yeah! Where is this coming from? No doubt a continuation of their ‘welfare reforms’ – slowly killing the sick & the disabled by making them poorer and poorer and eventually homeless, whilst giving umpteen millions into ‘overseas aid’, millions to ‘chancer’ private workfare companies, millions for ‘infrastructure’ such as HS2 that is totally not needed, millions to ‘promote the British space programme (as reported today!) and allowing the tax dodger companies to avoid paying tax and giving tax breaks to millionairres and billionairres.
Where is the fairness in all of this I ask myself?
Meanwhile, Iain George Duncan Smith, Priti Patel, Justin Tomlinson, and the other ‘Indian’ businessman (whose name I cannot remember – one of IDS’s W&P team) the arch conspirators of Cameron’s ‘flagship’ program ‘Welfare Reform’ & also the dismally failed ‘Universal Credit’ remain in their jobs. These are the bastards who are milking the massive tits of the tax-payers public purse for their own personal benefit. These are the Conservative cunts who were ‘voted’ in with only 24% of the electorate who mistakenedly voted for them. These are the voters, who – in a years’s or so’s time, when their ‘bankrupt’ and ‘in-receivership’ company makes them redundant – will have to ‘sign-on’ for a new claim to ‘Universal Credit’ and will be told, as a ‘customer’ by the DWP – sorry ‘customer number’ – you will have to wait for 40 days until you get your first payment of UC – meanwhile, Mr Jones, (Customer No: 18553) – you will have to undertake a ‘minimum’ of 35 hours Jobsearch a week on UJM (for JobCentreMinus).
Mr Jones is going to be well pissed off – after all – he himself voted for the Conservatives in the 2015 General Election – ‘because Labour dissed the economy’ (not necessarily because there was a worldwide slump!) and ‘he’ could not trust Labour, or UKIP (what – with Nigel Farage at the helm!)
The Tories are in control of a slowly sinking ship, (which they will not acknowledge is also drifting) – with Cameron as the Captain, Osborne as the Commander, IDS as the Leightenant Commander (what!) and the rest of the Tory twats as a crew. The fucking bastards really need a ‘wake up’ call to bring them to their senses.
A ‘Home Visit’ to any, or all of them may be good!

we live in a behaviourist based neoliberal economy/system, that has progressed by default to where we currently are, capitalism has no other way to go…it must keep going until ‘the last one standing’ it’s how capitalism is structured…please stop asking the same q’s over and over again and ignoring the answer, it’s tedious…see sermon on the mount….http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6xuNrAeQgQ robin mcalpine of common weal….

overburdenddonkey – I have had a look and that is a brilliant presentation by that chap from Scotland. If only we were in Scotland and not in England – his ideas are very good and it could be so different if this was the case.

overburdenddonkey – I am not winding you up in any way whatsoever. I was just being complimentary to him as he is such a good orator and he has so many good ideas – that’s all.
I wish you well with your desire to become independent and I sincerely hope that you do, as your Country would be so much better off in all ways.

well there you go, the irony is not wasted on me… a non binding deal ‘to protect the world’ from DANGEROUS climate change spending billions causing it as preventative measures…not to mention the climate change caused by constant war and preparation for it… http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-35086346 wooo, i feel safe now…!

Where I live sadly there are more homeless people than I have ever seen before – especially in the city centre. Most are curled up in doorways and bus shelters trying to keep warm whilst most shoppers simply ignore them. This says a lot about Christmas time in the selfish UK – Thatcher and Scrooge would have be proud of this achievement.

Just picked up the local paper – headline reads another homeless person found dead. I’ll bet there will be a lot more dead homeless people by the end of this winter, It this makes me so angry and upset that we live in such an uncaring and mean society whereby the poor and vulnerable are treated with such indifference. Where has all the compassion gone?

santa
‘Where has all the compassion gone?’ it vanishes as we’re bullied into serving others, instead of humanity…
i asked if i could have a toy for christmas, only if you’re ‘good’ came the reply…
repeat that to millions of people, compassion is buried…emasculated…

A man has been killed and another injured at a recycling facility in County Durham. Why, oh why do the Jobcentre’s third-party ‘provider’ collaborators keep sending workfare victims to these dangerous, dangerous places?!

Reblogged this on Wessex Solidarity and commented:
“Front-line workers in the homelessness industry have long warned that these counts are often fixed with police sent in to clear the streets of rough sleepers before the count takes place. Sadly the UK Statistics Authority have not called for an examination of how widespread this practice is.”

“The UK Government’s spending review will cut funding for employment services due to be devolved to Scotland by around £40m a year, according to the Scottish Government.

Fair Work Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said decisions made by Chancellor George Osborne last month would reduce anticipated funding for employability services by an estimated 75%.

Control over the Work Programme and Work Choice is due to be transferred to Scotland in 2017 as a result of the Smith Commission on further devolution.

A consultation was carried out over the summer on the potential for implementing distinctive new services but Ms Cunningham said the spending review would limit the Scottish Government’s options.

She has written to UK Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith outlining “serious concerns” about the implications of the review for Scotland.

Ms Cunningham said: “We estimate DWP intends to cut its spend on Scottish programmes to be devolved by around 40m annually – around 75%.

“This undermines the agreed intentions in Smith and comes on top of existing limitations in powers being devolved.

“It is our view that the Smith Commission envisaged the Scottish Government having greater influence over these issues from April 2017 and this cut diminishes their recommendations to an unacceptable level.

“The UK proposals will magnify the challenge of helping those further from the labour market into work.”

Ms Cunningham said she had requested an urgent meeting of the joint ministerial working group on welfare to discuss the issue.

She added: “The clarity needed to procure services has also not been forthcoming from DWP with a number of information requests by the Scottish Government remaining unanswered after several months.

“The lack of information on this vital issue is unacceptable and this latest move will have serious implications on both unemployed people in Scotland and the support they require.”

A UK Government spokesman said: “The Spending Review 2015 clearly responds to today’s challenges and looks to spend taxpayers’ money in the most effective way. Scotland will get its fair share of spend for the new contracted employment programme and will be able to use its own resources to top this up.

“We are firmly committed to delivering the Smith Commission Agreement in full, which includes the transfer of powers over contracted employment support for people with disabilities and those at risk of long-term unemployment in Scotland.””

Through Not Murder Directly Two Things are Disgusting about
Present Britain are the Scum who leave Broken Glass about which
can Injure Animals and People and those who do Not have the Decency
to Clean Up after their Dogs

Dogs Mess can cause Injuries as Well

They both should be Fined £20,000 Pounds for each Offence and
Equally those who leave Broken Glass laying about should be Charged
with Attempted Wounding whilst those who cannot be Bothered to Clean Up after their Dogs must be Banned from Owing Dogs for Life

the peoples assembly against austerity…
i wonder how that’s working out, noop….? oh! no luck so far noop, perhaps your powers of pursuasion are waning….
just a thought, perhaps a walking without due care and attention fine…

More from the land of haggis, whisky, shortbread, tartan, kilts and cabers.

“A new Scottish welfare system must move away from the negative stereotyping of benefit claimants as “skivers”, MSPs have said.
Holyrood’s welfare reform committee warned that the implementation of a distinctive Scottish system would require a “huge culture shift”.
The committee has been investigating the future delivery of social security.
This is in light of new powers over welfare being devolved to the Scottish Parliament.
In a report setting out their conclusions, MSPs called for an overhaul of the current approach to ensure that “the same dignity and respect that is normally offered to NHS patients is offered to benefit claimants”.
They said: “Witnesses suggested that elements of the current system appear to operate under an umbrella philosophy which regards those on social security universally as ‘skivers’.
“The welfare reform committee rejects this narrative and believes that it is neither realistic nor helpful.
“We believe that a new Scottish social security system requires a huge culture shift.”

‘Devastating impact’

MSPs said the new system should be non-punitive, with sanctions used only as a last resort, and much more accessible with clear and simple communication in plain English.
The committee recommends the introduction of long-term disability living allowance and personal independence payment awards for people with severe, long-term disability or illness and supports the Scottish government’s proposed increase in carer’s allowance to at least the amount paid in jobseekers allowance.
The report also calls for the housing element of universal credit to be paid fortnightly, direct to landlords, and for the Scottish government to use the new powers to immediately abolish the so-called “bedroom tax”.
Social Justice Secretary Alex Neil said: “We agree with the welfare reform committee that the current welfare system is in need of a significant overhaul.

“Its comprehensive report supports our aims of ensuring our new social security powers will treat people with respect and dignity, and be delivered in a fair and efficient way but there is also a need for the UK government to do more to improve the benefits it will continue to deliver.””

the ref of “huge culture shift” is in how benefit advisers and the Government talk to those receiving benefits when the powers are devolved….ime the general cultural shift has already taken place… but the scotland bill 2015 may or may not become law in spring 2016, is my understanding…

Chased a haggis the other night through a field. Wis gonni have it for my tea but the little bugger jumped through some bushes and got away because my kilt got caught on the barbed wire fence when i jumped over it! 😉

“with sanctions used only as a last resort”, but sanctions already are used as a “last resort” if you believe DWP Press releases… so no change there then…. more like same old same… only worse as can see Wee Nicola bring into some sort of “Chain Gang Forced Labour” – type scheme…. she looks the type.

http://www.businessforscotland.co.uk/without-oil-would-scotland-already-be-independent/
‘In June UK Government figures showed that a surge in North Sea oil and gas production lifted UK industrial output by 1% – the biggest increase since 2010, helping growth in the UK’s economy (not just Scotland’s) pick up 0.7% in the last quarter. In fact, the ONS (office of National statistics) reported that “mining and quarrying” which includes oil and gas, rose by 7.8% in the quarter, which they described as the biggest increase since 1989 despite falling oil prices….’

Brent Crude Oil (Wee Eck’s ‘black treacle’) was going for $107.20 a barrel back in June 20 2014 coincidentally?! when the Scots were being encouraged to vote “Aye” as it was being trumpeted that they could “live high on the hog as oil was fetching over $100 a barrel”. On today’s market a barrel of Wee Eck’s ‘black treacle will fetch a mere $28.86 a barrel! Lucky for the Scots they aren’t ‘independent’ and now ‘living of off the oil’ 😉

That graph is a damning indictment of the “YES” campaign and a clear vindication of the “NO” campaign. We can clearly see how the high oil price coincides with the ‘yes’ campaign’s promises of this that and the other to the Scots. And the answer to the obvious and pertinent question of “How will all this be funded?” was one word: “OIL”, repeat “OIL”. Even to this day I can still recall Alex Salmond’ smug face repeating “OIL”, “OIL”, “OIL” over and over again as if somehow that one word was an invisible shield that magically shut down all debate. If the “YES” campaign had got their way, Scotland would now be back to living in the Stone Age trying to trade a now worthless commodity. Let us see you trying to spin your way out of that one, obd!

LIAR…that was NOT trumpeted by the indyscot yes movement @ all, but seen as a bonus…and as the link i posted above states…. ‘In June UK Government figures showed that a surge in North Sea oil and gas production lifted UK industrial output by 1% – the biggest increase since 2010, helping growth in the UK’s economy (not just Scotland’s) pick up 0.7% in the last quarter. In fact, the ONS (office of National statistics) reported that “mining and quarrying” which includes oil and gas, rose by 7.8% in the quarter, which they described as the biggest increase since 1989 despite falling oil prices….’ oil even @ it’s very low price has boosted the uk economy…and we’re not in june 2016 yet….

A new national welfare benefit which will eventually replace Jobseeker’s Allowance and other benefits is starting in Peterborough as part of a government roll-out.

New claimants will begin receiving Universal Credit (UC) from Monday which replaces six existing benefits with one monthly payment.

Current claimants will not yet be affected by the changes, and next week’s changes will for the time being only affect individuals and not families.

However, UC will eventually replace all other benefits and be used by everyone who needs welfare.

Minister for Welfare Reform Lord Freud said: “Universal Credit is a revolution in welfare – a system that, for the first time, supports people both in and out of work and encourages them to increase their earnings.

“By making work pay for each and every hour, Universal Credit encourages claimants to increase their earnings.”

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) claims that for every 100 people who find work under the old Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) system, 113 UC claimants will have moved into a job.

The DWP has said UC helps people to get into work quicker and will financially support people who find a job as benefits are withdrawn over a period of time.

But asked if people who are out of work will receive as much money as those currently on JSA, a spokesman said payment depends on an individual’s circumstance, although he added that nobody on working tax credits will lose out.

UC claims will only be able to be made online, but this can be done at a jobcentre if required.

UC is now in three-quarters of all jobcentres across the country and will eventually replace; JSA, Income Support, Employment and Support Allowance, Working Tax Credits, Child Tax Credits and Housing Benefit.

“”””UC is now in three-quarters of all jobcentres across the country and will eventually replace; JSA, Income Support, Employment and Support Allowance, Working Tax Credits, Child Tax Credits and Housing Benefit.”””

You are now contracted to Maximus by signing the ESA50 bogus form to be in the duty care of Maximus not the DWP. Maximus run all types of thing as well as WCA fake medicals, they run Universal Credit Work Coaches, They provide the IT, they run the DWP. Welcome to the new DWP in UC called Maximus Health Insurance. UC will be there till you die with Maximus picking up the profits. No need to worry the ex-DWP aka Maximus has taken care of your life.

Credit in Universal Credit means paying back. That is what Credit means unless they have changed meanings to words like disability has been cured & is no more so you are not aloud to use the word disabled because it is now defunct.

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By John Pring Disability News Service 3rd May 2018 A national network of mental health service-users, survivors and activists is facing closure next month if it cannot secure new funding, after becoming the latest victim of competition from large, non-user-led … Continue reading →

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Due to the Kingsgate Community Centre being closed over Xmas 2019 the last KUWG meeting for 2019 is Thursday 19th December, recommencing in 2020 Thursday 9th January. Happy Post-Election Xmas, if possible!

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